Tuesday 26 May 2015

Amravathi to be new capital of Andhra Pradesh



Chief Minister N.Chandrababu Naidu received the master plan from S. Iswaran, Minister in the Singapore Prime Minister's Office.
Andhra Pradesh has with the expertise of the showcase city state, Singapore, unveiled a holistic blueprint outlining the perspectives to develop the state's the new capital, Amaravati, and its evolution facing the urban challenges until 2050. Chief Minister N.Chandrababu Naidu received the master plan from S. Iswaran, Minister in the Singapore Prime Minister's Office, who is also the country's second Trade and Industry Minister in Hyderabad on Monday.
"Singapore has worked closely with the Andhra Pradesh government to complete the master plan on schedule. I am happy that Singapore has contributed to Andhra Pradesh's vision to create a vibrant and habitable city for its people. Amaravathi will truly by a people's capital," said Iswaran after presenting the documents to Naidu. "I have decided to perform a simple bhumi puja for the new capital city on June 6 at 8.49 am," said the chief minister, who is to invite Prime MinisterNarendra Modi for Dasara later in the year when the actual capital works begin, after the monsoon months.
"Amaravathi would not only be the administrative capital of Andhra Pradesh, but also serve as an economic powerhouse to the reorganized state as we are planning to generate economic activity in it by setting up industries in the service sector," said Naidu. Andhra Pradesh wants to develop Amaravathi on the lines of Venice which is connected by over 400 bridges across its 150 odd canals to be the Italian of the East.
The riverfront capital on the banks of the Krishna, lying between Vijayawada and Guntur, is being named after the ancient Buddhist city will be the seat of the Andhra Pradesh administration. Naidu did toy with the idea of naming it after N.T. Rama Rao, his party's founder and father - in - law, whose birthplace is in the region, but gave it up following criticism from within his party as well as the opposition to the land pooling scheme for the proposed capital. Then, a shrewd Naidu turned it into a win - win situation by picking Amaravati in the hope of attracting both investors and tourists from the dominant Buddhist nations in South and East Asia.
The key elements of the Amaravathi Master Plan are: growing a vibrant economy; creating a habitable India city; enhancing connectivity and active mobility; ensuring sustainability; and, making it the People's Capital. The last element is in keeping with Naidu's vision having won over a large section of the farmers who gave up the fertile deltaic tracts in land pooling. In return, they will receive plots of commercial and residential land in the city and share in the fruits of development for years to come.
The Master Plan includes a designated Central Business District, commercial zones in town centres and industrial parks. The city will also plan to have a Bus Rapid Transit System, which could eventually be upgraded to a Mass Rapid Transit system. The Master Plan will also see the construction of a network of walkways, cycle tracks and local waterways. Besides this, Amaravathi will have new parks, gardens and recreational facilities such as a cricket stadium. The Plan has also laid out infrastructure for delivering reliable supplies of electricity and water while managing solid waste and sewerage.

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